Sample Chapters

Proprioception refers to our uncanny capacity to know almost exactly where our arm, leg, or finger is, without having to look at it. With proprioception, you can estimate the angle of your elbow, the position of your hand, and the spread of your fingers. If you had to touch your nose, you could do so, even with your eyes closed. The ultimate purpose of proprioception is to control the way we move.

When we think of reflexes, we typically think of an unexpected reaction to an outside stimulus. We might duck in response to a loud sound, dodge if we see something coming towards us, retract if we touch something hot, or pull away if we stand on something sharp.

There are many possible causes of persistent muscle inhibition, but they all involve what we can call dysfunctional proprioception, i.e., a disruption of normal proprioception, those crucial messages nerve sensors are sending back to the brain and nervous system.